The Final Deletion: Masterpiece or Master Disaster?

"It takes a lot of fuel to delete a Brother Nero!"

For years now, TNA officials have been hungry for something that WWE has had all along. Attention. Over the years, the company has struggled to gain a large scale, consistent fanbase, at least on the same level as their counterpart.

Sure, TNA has a core group of die-hard fanatics, but not enough to write home about. Needless to say, they've been trying to come up with something to draw attention their way. Did they achieve that with The Final Deletion?

I can only imagine what the mood was like in that production meeting when the idea was brought up for the Final Deletion. I'm sure there were some looks of confusion, disbelief and maybe even a chuckle or two. But, on the other hand, I'm sure someone at that table truly believed that this idea would not only work, but they probably viewed the angle as simply brilliant.

I'll be completely honest, I don't watch TNA programming on a regular basis. I'll watch on occasion, but I don't necessarily rush home on Tuesday nights to make sure I catch Impact from the beginning, nor do I buy their PPV's.

Don't get me wrong, I've tried to immerse myself in their product, hoping to get captivated by something that would reel me in and keep my interest. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. At least not since the old days when they filmed at the Nashville Asylum.

In the weeks leading up to The Final Deletion, TNA told a story of a Hardy feud where the elder Matt appeared to be going insane, and determined to erase the very mention of Jeff Hardy, aka "Brother Nero." Then it was finally time, the night had come and The Final Deletion was upon us.

Matt had the final laugh.

As the segment began to air, it felt almost like I was watching a mini-film. TNA had found a way to creatively tell the entire story of the Hardy Brothers. It felt as if we were taken on this bizarre roller coaster ride throughout the life and times of The Hardy Boyz.

Sure, there was a degree of silliness, but one had to expect just that, going into this payoff. There were drones with hologram projections, dirt bikes, piñatas and anything else you can possibly think of that they could throw into the frame.

There was even a point where Willow made a return, right in the middle of the match. Just disregard everything you know about a normal wrestling match and insert the most ridiculous elements under the sun. That's exactly what The Final Deletion was.

In the end, a broken Matt Hardy stood victorious over his Brother Nero, Jeff Hardy. The match itself wasn't exactly where all the excitement came from. It was the prelude to and the aftermath that will always be remembered.

Since this event, critics have come from every direction and out of every corner. Some went into this whole ordeal with the mindset that no matter what happened, they would bash the end result regardless.

Some of the staunch TNA faithful would've praised the angle, regardless of how good or bad the outcome was. Then there was the select few who decided to give this thing a fair shot and let the cards fall in their entirety before passing judgment, or making a final analysis.

As for myself, I will admit that when the show started, I rolled my eyes and few times, but eventually, I realized exactly what was happening. Dixie Carter, Billy Corgan, Dave Lagana and anyone else who mattered, they knew exactly what they were doing.

If you think they were oblivious to the hokiness of what was transpiring, you're dead wrong. In fact, the powers that be were well aware of everything that happened. It was on this night that the TNA creative forces got the last laugh.

As I said, everyone involved with The Final Deletion knew precisely what was going on. Honestly speaking, everything probably went exactly as planned, possibly even better than anyone anticipated.

While some are not impressed with the production of The Final Deletion, others probably realize the bigger picture and know exactly why this night was a success. TNA did something they had not done very often and possibly achieved it on a bigger scale than they have before...TNA got your attention.

When it's all said and done, it's a game not of wins and losses. Instead, it's a game of successfully telling a story and as far as The Final Deletion is concerned, a very compelling story was in fact told.